Category: Turkey

Scholar Backs Turkish-Armenian “Genocide” Study

Armenia — Hayk Demoyan, director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, speaks at a news conference on September 7, 2009.

07.09.2009

Sargis Harutyunyan

A well-known Armenian genocide scholar voiced support on Monday for official Yerevan’s and Ankara’s plans to form a joint body tasked with looking into the mass killings of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey.

The creation of such a body is a key provision of one of the two draft protocols on the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations that were made public by the two governments last week. It is supposed to engage in an “impartial scientific examination of historical documents and archives” relating to the 1915-1918 massacres.

The idea of such a study appears to be unpopular in Armenia and its worldwide Diaspora. Many Armenians — and political opponents of President Serzh Sarkisian in particular — view it as a Turkish ploy designed to discourage more countries from recognizing the deaths of more than one million Armenians as genocide.

Hayk Demoyan, the director of the state-run Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute in Yerevan, dismissed these concerns, claiming that the Turkish-Armenian panel would only pose a threat to Turkey’s ruling establishment that vehemently denies that the massacres constituted a genocide. He said its Armenian members would gain access to Ottoman archives dating back to the First World War and thereby be able to uncover more evidence of what many international historians believe was the first genocide of the 20th century.

Speaking at a news conference, Demoyan claimed that the purpose and format of the study is different from the one proposed by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a 2005 letter to then President Robert Kocharian. “Reading the document and its formulations, we can see that this is not what the Turkish side meant,” he said.

Government critics found Demoyan’s arguments unconvincing, however. Gegham Manukian, a historian affiliated with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), said they are at odds with pro-government politicians’ assurances that the genocide issue will not be the main focus of the Turkish-Armenian “sub-commission” of historians. “That means that the genocide issue will be discussed there after all,” he told RFE/RL.

Manukian also stood by Dashnaktsutyun’s and other opposition parties’ that the Turks will now find it easier to keep foreign governments and parliaments from issuing Armenian genocide resolutions.

https://www.azatutyun.am/a/1816784.html

September 7, 2009
EU and Turkey in ‘vicious circle,’ experts say
VALENTINA POP

Today @ 09:33 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – European leaders must treat Turkey as any other EU candidate and stop suggesting alternatives to full membership, while Ankara for its part needs to re-engage in a democratic reform process, a panel of European experts has recommended.

The EU’s relationship with Turkey has turned into a ‘vicious circle’, with growing distrust on both sides, the Independent Commission on Turkey, a panel of experts chaired by Nobel Peace Prize winner Martti Ahtisaari warns in a report issued Monday (7 September).

The Bosphorus: Turkey’s geography is one of the arguments raised by some against EU membership. (Photo: wikipedia)

“Continued negative comments by European political leaders, combined with growing public hesitation about further EU enlargement, have deepened resentment in Turkey and slowed the necessary reforms,” the document reads.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has publicly questioned Turkey’s right to become an EU member, pointing to its geography, which stretches from southeastern Europe to Asia Minor. The question of 70 million Muslims set to become EU citizens is also frequently invoked by opponents to Turkish membership in countries such as Austria, Germany or the Netherlands.

“European governments must honour their commitments and treat Turkey with fairness and the respect it deserves. On its side, Turkey has to re-engage in a dynamic, broad-based reform process, thus confirming that it is willing and serious in its ambition to join the EU,” the report recommends.

The experts warn against the use of alternative scenarios such as the ‘privileged partnership’ invoked in German circles and urge the EU to stick to the declared “common goal” of accession negotiations – EU membership.

“To breathe new life into the negotiations, the EU must simply follow through on previous commitments to keep the path to membership open. No new promises are needed,” Mr Ahtisaari said.

On the other hand, Ankara also needs to keep its promises on the reform side.

“Two years without elections now lie ahead, and all sides must act now to prevent the country’s convergence with the EU from stalling. Comprehensive, consistent and sustained progress towards more democracy at home is the best way to persuade more Europeans of Turkey’s EU compatibility,” the report reads.

One major opportunity for progress in the EU-Turkey negotiations will emerge later this month, as a new round of peace talks on the divided island of Cyprus resume. Ankara is the only capital to recognise the north of Cyprus as an independent country, while the Greek south is an EU member.

“Turkey’s progress towards joining the European Union would get a major boost from resolving the division of Cyprus,” said Mr Ahtisaari. “The seductive idea that the status quo can go on forever is a delusion. The cost of inaction this time around is too high.”

Speaking in Stockholm after the meeting with EU foreign ministers on Saturday, Turkish top diplomat Ahmet Davutoglu looked confident of his country’s future membership.

“We have full confidence that our French, British and other colleagues will keep their commitment,” he said. “There is no need for convincing. It is already certain that Turkey and the European Union will integrate in the future.”

Press Articles
- Today’s Zaman
Report
- Independent Commission on Turkey
https://euobserver.com/eu-political/28622
September 7, 2009
Arab Group Charged Over Holocaust Cartoon

In recent years, Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh was killed by a Muslim angered by his movie about the mistreatment of Muslim women…

Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders was placed under 24-hour guard after releasing a film Muslims viewed as critical of Islam . . .

And 12 cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed were published in a Danish newspaper, triggering massive protests in Muslim countries.

Now Dutch prosecutors have turned the tables and said they would charge an Arab cultural group under hate speech laws for publishing a cartoon suggesting that the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews were exterminated, is a fabrication.

The cartoon appeared on the Web site of the Dutch arm of the Arab European League. It shows two presumably Jewish men standing near a pile of skeletons with a sign that says “Auswitch” — an obvious reference to the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz.

One man pokes a bone with a stick and says, “I don’t think they’re Jews.” The other man replies, “We have to get to the 6 million somehow.”

The public prosecutor’s office in the Dutch city Utrecht said the cartoon insults Jews as a group and is therefore an illegal form of discrimination, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Prosecutors plan to press charges for “insulting a group and distributing an insulting image,” which could lead to a jail sentence or fine.

The Arab group said it doesn’t deny the reality of the Holocaust, but published the cartoon to highlight a double standard regarding the publication of offensive material by Muslims and non-Muslims.

Interestingly, Arab European League Chairman Abdoulmouthalib Bouzerda said anyone should be permitted to publish insulting material in the interest of public debate.

September 7, 2009
Thaw Praised in Enclave

By Karine Ohanian in Stepanakert (CRS No. 509, 04-Sep-09)

Politicians in Nagorny-Karabakh have given a cautious welcome to the thaw in Armenian-Turkish relations, especially since the status of their own self-declared state was not included in the published “protocols”.

Ankara and Yerevan announced on the last day of August that, with two protocols, they had agreed the terms under which diplomatic relations between them could be restored, and the border opened, although the precise details of the agreement have not been released.

“We are closely following Armenian-Turkish relations, or more accurately, the true desire of Armenia to create these relations,” said Bako Sahakian, president of Nagorny-Karabakh.

Turkish politicians had previously linked a restoration of ties to a resolution of the status of Nagorny-Karabakh, which has declared independence but is internationally considered a part of Azerbaijan, a close ally of Turkey. Karabakh’s Armenian inhabitants have governed themselves independently since Baku’s troops were driven out in the early 1990s, and Sahakian said he was still concerned by Turkey’s position.

“This cannot inspire much hope for the creation of honest and true relations,” he said.

Other figures believed the thaw could mean Ankara had abandoned its insistence on Karabakh being handed back to Baku’s control.

“An important positive element of the protocol is the lack of a direct connection between the normalisation of Armenian-Turkish relations and the regulation of the Nagorny-Karabakh conflict, and the clear separation of these two conflicts,” Masis Mailian, a former candidate for the presidency and the current chairman of the Civic Council for Foreign Policy and Security, told IWPR.

“Azerbaijan, as a result of the Armenian-Turkish process, will become more compliant in the Karabakh talks process, which will allow a peace deal to be reached more quickly.”

Karabakh’s leaders will be closely watching the next six weeks, when the protocols will be discussed in the two countries, then submitted to the parliaments for approval. The removal of Karabakh from the discussions, as well as the lack of a mention of the Armenian genocide question has made the documents more likely to be accepted. At least half a million Armenians died when they were driven out of their homes in Ottoman Turkey in 1915 but Turkey denies it was genocide.

“It is currently too early to say what this possible Armenia-Turkey agreement could give to the Karabakh regulation process; it all depends on geopolitical developments. I welcome this thaw, but stress that attempts to connect Armenian-Turkish relations with regulating Karabakh-Azerbaijan are unacceptable. This cannot be done at the cost of Karabakh or the genocide,” said David Babaian, head of the president’s information service.

Karine Ohanian is a freelance journalist and a member of IWPR’s EU-funded Cross Caucasus Journalism Network.
The terminology used in this report was chosen by the editors.

September 6, 2009
Ruling Party Against Referendum On Turkey

Armenia — Galust Sahakian, a leading member of the ruling Republican Party.

04.09.2009

Anush Martirosian

President Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) dismissed on Friday opposition calls for the holding of a referendum on a controversial agreement to normalize Turkish-Armenian relations.

Armenian opposition parties have voiced strong objections to two draft protocols on the establishment of diplomatic relations and the opening of the border between the two neighboring states. One of them, Zharangutyun (Heritage), demanded on Thursday that the authorities put the documents on a referendum. The party said it will start collecting signatures in parliament in support of such a vote.

Galust Sahakian, the leader of the largest parliament faction controlled by the HHK, spoke out against the Zharangutyun initiative, all but predetermining its failure in the National Assembly. “Things have not reached a point where there is a need for the referendum,” he told a news conference.

“Secondly, it may be that Turkey will say after six weeks that it is not going to sign [the protocols,]” said Sahakian. “Should we then hold a referendum on why Turkey doesn’t want to sign?”

By law, Zharangutyun needs the backing of at least two-thirds of the 131 parliament deputies to force a referendum on the issue over the government’s objections. The opposition party holds only seven seats in the National Assembly dominated by government loyalists.

Sahakian also dismissed opposition criticism of Sarkisian’s acceptance of a Turkish proposal to form a commission of Armenian and Turkish historians. He claimed that the planned body will not seek to determine whether the 1915 massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire constituted a genocide and will instead will deal with less contentious issues such as preservation of Armenian cultural heritage in Turkey. “Armenia will never engage in historical discussions on the genocide,” he said.

https://www.azatutyun.am/a/1815105.html

September 5, 2009
Kurd who posed as Turkish assassin jailed

A Kurdish delivery driver posed as an assassin targeting Turkey’s ambassador to Britain and two community leaders cost the Metropolitan Police £60,000 after a two day surveillance operation was launched.

Idris Savas was jailed for three-and-half-months as a result of his ”fantasy” claims followed news that Kurdish [ ethnic racist narco terrorist ]1 leader Abdullah Ocalan had been arrested after 14 years of [ethnic racist narco terrorist]2 warfare in south-east Turkey.

(1. and 2. are corrected by Tolga Cakir under Terrorism Act 2000 and the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001)

Alexandra Felix, prosecuting, said his detention caused ”political turmoil” and resulted ”in both civil unrest in Turkey and attacks in the UK on Turkish premises”.

London’s Southwark Crown Court heard the 37 year-old defendant, long troubled by feelings he was ”invisible” in society, was not only concerned about the developments back home but felt this was an opportunity to ”make himself feel important”.

So he picked up his pay-as-you-go mobile and first rang Sener Saglam, the head of Federation of Turkish Associations in London. He claimed he was part of an assassination squad set up by rebel Kurdish [ ethnic racist narco terrorist ]3 PKK to kill both the community leader and Turkey’s ambassador Yigit Alpogan.

(3 is corrected by Tolga Cakir under Terrorism Act 2000 and the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001)

He then called Dr Yasar Colak, an embassy official and head of the Turkish Religious Foundation, and said he, too was on the death list.

He spoke of picking up weapons in Chingford, Essex, before adding: ”I am an assassin. I have been hired to kill you.”

He also insisted he had been forced to take part and ”needed help”.

The barrister said the calls were taken ”very seriously” and both the Met’s anti-terrorist and Diplomatic Protection squads were alerted, triggering an intensive two-day surveillance operation.

Off-duty officers were called in and all leave was cancelled, leaving police with a £60,000 overtime bill.

A dedicated operations room was also set up and potential victims moved to ”safe houses”.

Savas, of Kenninghall Road, Clapton, east London, was eventually identified, arrested by armed police and subsequently admitted one count of making telephonic communications ”for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience or anxiety”.

Jonathan Green, defending, told the court: ”This is a peculiar offence. Clearly it has resulted in enormous expenditure in terms of the amount of police time and money. It boils down to Mr Savas representing himself as some sort of hit man and being part of an assassination group.”

He said he accepted his client, a heroin addict for many years, had caused ”some anxiety and stress”, but insisted: ”It was clearly entirely fantasy.”

The barrister continued: ”He was a powerless, ineffective man who felt he was invisible. This was an attempt to make himself feel important. These phone calls were an attempt to glamorise himself. It was misguided and he is now extremely sorry for it. He realises the massive disruption he caused.”

Sentencing, Judge Deborah Taylor said: ”It is said on your behalf that these calls were made under the influence of drink and drugs. But it appears your addiction problems began a long time before the period of these calls.”

”Furthermore, the fact the calls had been made over a period of time … demonstrates an element of pre-planning. This was a course of conduct of a very serious nature. Whilst it is said on your behalf this was a cry for help from you it is clear it caused anxiety to those concerned due to the high-profile nature of the targets and the public cost was considerable.

”In my judgment this was towards the top of the scale for this type of offence.”

The Telegraph

September 3, 2009